The present invention relates to apparatus for supporting modular electronic subsystems on electrical and electronic devices, and more particularly to a socket apparatus for receiving and supporting modular devices that are inserted into a host device, such as a printer or other peripheral device.
It has been a common practice in the manufacture of electronic components to provide additional functional capability in the form of modular electronic subsystems that can be easily coupled to larger electronic devices. One common example involved the use of font cartridges on laser and other printers in home and office environments. Such font cartridges were merely plugged into the printer and provided additional fonts for the user. Other examples included transceiver slots on network switches and in internal print servers and modules for multi-function peripheral devices, which could scan, fax, print and copy. The use of modular subsystems or components to vary the functionality of such peripheral devices was a convenient, flexible and inexpensive alternative to the replacement of such devices or the need to manufacture many different models of such devices to satisfy differing functional needs.
The disadvantages of such previous solutions included the necessity of using additional parts to provide mechanical support and retention of the auxiliary module. They also required the maintenance of tight tolerances between the host electrical connection and the module support. Some of the solutions also lacked a low impedance ground path, which can be important for reliability of operation. Moreover, some solutions utilized plastic resin which affected the amount of space required to provide sufficient mechanical strength.
The present invention relates to a socket apparatus for supporting modular devices that are inserted into the host device. The apparatus is a robust, low cost solution for supporting a module that is insertable into a host device and providing a low impedance RFI ground path for the module. The apparatus also supports and protects the host electrical connector, minimizes the number of host parts and tolerance back up and provides design flexibility to suppliers who provide modules for use in a host device.
The present invention is preferably mounted on a printed circuit board having a connector mounted thereto adapted to receive a connector in the module that is inserted into the socket apparatus. The socket apparatus has a support structure including a plurality of legs adapted to be inserted into apertures in the printed circuit board and be soldered in place. The bulk of the socket apparatus is elevated above the printed circuit board so that important real estate between the socket structure and the printed circuit board surface can be used for placement of circuit components in the printed circuit board. The support structure is designed such that it permits great flexibility in terms of the mounting and location of the apparatus on a printed circuit board which may have many diverse configurations for use in different types of electronic devices.